Here are some suggestions to make your puppet productions more enjoyable for your audiences.
VOICES: Let the children make up a character voice they think suits the puppet. It could be a specific character from movies or TV that suits the part, such as the Cowardly Lion from the "Wizard of Oz," Mickey Mouse's high falsetto, and so on.
TALKING: With moving-mouth puppets, the natural tendency is to SHUT the mouth with each syllable. But people do the opposite, and so should puppets. It may take practice, but try to get the children to OPEN the puppet's mouth with each syllable. And don't overdo it with big flapping mouth movements, unless the puppet character is yelling. Subtle movements that open the mouth just slightly on each sylable are more realistic and more convincing. WALKING: To simulate walking and running, don't let the children merely slide the puppets across the stage, but do small "step-size" bounces to represent each step.
BODY LANGUAGE: Show your children how to use pauses and body moves as part of their acting. Sometimes a hesitation plays as good as a spoken line. For example, when lion puts his paw on the mouse to stop him, the mouse could freeze, pause, say his "oops" line, slowly turn and do a quick startled shake.
Help the children develop their own "body language" moves. Paul Winchell, the great puppeteer and ventriloquist, was a master of the slow turn. Think of all the other ventriloquists and puppeteers you've seen. Animated cartoons use the same techniques.
GENDER NOTE: In adapting these scripts, we've referred to the animal characters in the neuter "it," because we don't know if you're going to have boys or girls playing the part. (Aesop seemed to assume all animals were male.) You may substitute "him" and "her" as you wish. (Found at http://www.creativityinstitute.com/puppettheaterscriptideas.aspx#anchor379028 )
SAMPLE PUPPET SHOW SCRIPT A Creativity Institute Adaptation for the Puppet Stage
The Lion and the Mouse An Aesop's Fable
SCRIPT USES TWO PUPPETS: A LION AND A MOUSE. WHEN THE SCENE OPENS, THE LION IS ASLEEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF STAGE. (LION IS LEANING SO ITS HEAD IS RESTING ON THE FRONT OF THE STAGE. THE LION SHOULD FACE SUCH ITS OPEN EYES THAT DO NOT SHOW.)
(DIRECTOR'S HINT: LET THE LION ACTOR MAKE SNORING SOUND EFFECTS, EVEN COMICAL SNORING, UNTIL THE LION AWAKES.)
NARRATOR: A long time ago in a forest far, far away, lived a great Lion. One day, when the Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon it.
MOUSE ENTERS AND RUNS UP AND DOWN THE LION. (MOUSE PUPPET MAKES LITTLE BOUNCE STEPS FROM ONE SIDE OF THE RESTING LION TO THE OTHER.) MOUSE: Hey, Look at me! I'm running up and down on a Lion. Weeeeee! I'm so brave. Weeeeeeeee! NARRATOR: This soon wakened the Lion, who jumped upon the Mouse. THIS LAST TIME THE MOUSE CROSSES OVER THE LION, THE LION STRAIGHTENS ITSELF UPRIGHT AND MOVES NEXT TO THE MOUSE, FACING IT, AS IF "CATCHING IT." LION: Excuse me
MOUSE, FREEZES, LOOKING STRAIGHT AT THE AUDIENCE, NOT THE LION: Oops. That's not good. MOUSE SLOWLY TURNS TO FACE THE LION AND SCREAMS WITH FRIGHT: Ahgggggg!
NARRATOR: And then the Lion opened its big mouth to swallow the Mouse.
LION OPENS MOUTH AND SLOWLY MOVES TOWARD THE MOUSE.
MOUSE (FACING THE LION, SOUNDING SCARED): Oh, Pardon me, O King of Beasts, O great and powerful Lion, uh, Sir, Uh, Sirloin. Uh, Sir Lion. Pleeeeease forgive me this time and I shall never forget it. Who knows, but I may be able to do you a favor one of these days!
WHILE THE NARRATOR SPEAKS, THE LION TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE, AS IF THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE MOUSE SAID.
NARRATOR: The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help, that the Lion let the Mouse go.
LION: Mouse, you tickle me. I think I'll let you go. I don't think you'd be much of a meal anyway.
LION LETS THE MOUSE GO AND THE MOUSE BACKS OFF STAGE, BOWING TOWARD THE LION AND THANKING IT OVER AND OVER.
MOUSE: Oh, thank you, Sir Lion. Thank you, thank you.
WHEN THE MOUSE IS GONE, THE LION LEAVES THE STAGE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
NARRATOR: Some time later, the Lion was caught in a trap. And the hunters who caught it tied it up and left it alone while they went off to find a wagon to use to bring it to the King.
Puppet Skits and Scripts:
Short comedies; social issues; songs
Fairy Tales and other stories
Rugrats scripts
Aesop's Fables
GENERAL STAGE DIRECTIONS FOR PUPPET SHOWS
Here are some suggestions to make your puppet productions more enjoyable for your audiences.
VOICES: Let the children make up a character voice they think suits the puppet. It could be a specific character from movies or TV that suits the part, such as the Cowardly Lion from the "Wizard of Oz," Mickey Mouse's high falsetto, and so on.
TALKING: With moving-mouth puppets, the natural tendency is to SHUT the mouth with each syllable. But people do the opposite, and so should puppets. It may take practice, but try to get the children to OPEN the puppet's mouth with each syllable.
And don't overdo it with big flapping mouth movements, unless the puppet character is yelling. Subtle movements that open the mouth just slightly on each sylable are more realistic and more convincing.
WALKING: To simulate walking and running, don't let the children merely slide the puppets across the stage, but do small "step-size" bounces to represent each step.
BODY LANGUAGE: Show your children how to use pauses and body moves as part of their acting. Sometimes a hesitation plays as good as a spoken line. For example, when lion puts his paw on the mouse to stop him, the mouse could freeze, pause, say his "oops" line, slowly turn and do a quick startled shake.
Help the children develop their own "body language" moves. Paul Winchell, the great puppeteer and ventriloquist, was a master of the slow turn. Think of all the other ventriloquists and puppeteers you've seen. Animated cartoons use the same techniques.
GENDER NOTE: In adapting these scripts, we've referred to the animal characters in the neuter "it," because we don't know if you're going to have boys or girls playing the part. (Aesop seemed to assume all animals were male.) You may substitute "him" and "her" as you wish.
(Found at http://www.creativityinstitute.com/puppettheaterscriptideas.aspx#anchor379028 )
SAMPLE PUPPET SHOW SCRIPT
A Creativity Institute Adaptation for the Puppet Stage
The Lion and the Mouse
An Aesop's Fable
(DIRECTOR'S HINT: LET THE LION ACTOR MAKE SNORING SOUND EFFECTS, EVEN COMICAL SNORING, UNTIL THE LION AWAKES.)
NARRATOR: A long time ago in a forest far, far away, lived a great Lion. One day, when the Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon it.
MOUSE ENTERS AND RUNS UP AND DOWN THE LION. (MOUSE PUPPET MAKES LITTLE BOUNCE STEPS FROM ONE SIDE OF THE RESTING LION TO THE OTHER.)
MOUSE: Hey, Look at me! I'm running up and down on a Lion. Weeeeee! I'm so brave. Weeeeeeeee!
NARRATOR: This soon wakened the Lion, who jumped upon the Mouse.
THIS LAST TIME THE MOUSE CROSSES OVER THE LION, THE LION STRAIGHTENS ITSELF UPRIGHT AND MOVES NEXT TO THE MOUSE, FACING IT, AS IF "CATCHING IT."
LION: Excuse me
MOUSE, FREEZES, LOOKING STRAIGHT AT THE AUDIENCE, NOT THE LION: Oops. That's not good.
MOUSE SLOWLY TURNS TO FACE THE LION AND SCREAMS WITH FRIGHT: Ahgggggg!
NARRATOR: And then the Lion opened its big mouth to swallow the Mouse.
LION OPENS MOUTH AND SLOWLY MOVES TOWARD THE MOUSE.
MOUSE (FACING THE LION, SOUNDING SCARED): Oh, Pardon me, O King of Beasts, O great and powerful Lion, uh, Sir, Uh, Sirloin. Uh, Sir Lion. Pleeeeease forgive me this time and I shall never forget it. Who knows, but I may be able to do you a favor one of these days!
WHILE THE NARRATOR SPEAKS, THE LION TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE, AS IF THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE MOUSE SAID.
NARRATOR: The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help, that the Lion let the Mouse go.
LION: Mouse, you tickle me. I think I'll let you go. I don't think you'd be much of a meal anyway.
LION LETS THE MOUSE GO AND THE MOUSE BACKS OFF STAGE, BOWING TOWARD THE LION AND THANKING IT OVER AND OVER.
MOUSE: Oh, thank you, Sir Lion. Thank you, thank you.
WHEN THE MOUSE IS GONE, THE LION LEAVES THE STAGE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
NARRATOR: Some time later, the Lion was caught in a trap. And the hunters who caught it tied it up and left it alone while they went off to find a wagon to use to bring it to the King.
------------- (END OF SAMPLE )
©2005 The Creativity Institute www.creativityinstitute.com